1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for diffusing a stream of air into a passenger compartment, in particular that of a motor vehicle.
However, although more especially intended for such applications, it could also be used in any other type of waterborne, air and/or land craft or vehicles, as well as for stationary installations.
2. Description of Related Art
In presently known motor vehicles, air diffusion is generally effected by devices emerging in the area of items, of trim such as, for example, dashboards, door panels or others. Such devices are constituted, in particular, by different conduits enabling a stream of air to be routed to an orifice from which said stream of air is projected into the passenger compartment through a ventilation grill, which is possibly mobile, clearly visible on the surface of said items.
The major drawback of this type of device is that the stream or streams of air emitted travel in a precise direction and thus give the occupants of the vehicle the impression of a draft which, while it may sometimes be desired, is often unpleasant and a source of discomfort when only gentle diffusion is wanted. In addition, such streams of air or drafts are not conducive to the creation of a homogeneous air environment inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle. It may further be observed that, when the air flow rate is maximal, turbulence occurs, generating acoustic discomfort; this discomfort is in addition to that originating from the fan, the noise of which is conducted without impediment via the air conduits. Furthermore, the presence of ventilation grills on the surfaces of the dashboards impairs their aesthetic appearance.
There are also known air diffusion devices including an air supply area with which at least a part of the diffusion is effected through a porous panel constituting at least one part of a dashboard, a door panel or a roof.
Such porous panels have made it possible to solve certain drawbacks associated with air diffusion, which was previously effected by devices emerging in the area of items of trim such as those aforementioned.
The use of a porous panel has likewise made it possible to overcome the drawbacks inherent in the other devices by permitting the free flow of a stream of air, with this taking place simultaneously in all directions in the space of ft passenger compartment.
However, such porous panels, while they have made it possible to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, have a drawback linked with the actual operation of these panels, Their porosity is, in fact, low, so that particles present in the air tend to clog them, which gradually impairs their performance. What is more, as the particles, which are formed of soot and oily materials, tend to migrate through the panels towards their visible faces, this has an effect on their external appearance.
The object of the present invention is to overcome these drawbacks and, for this purpose, provides a device for diffusing a stream of air inside a passenger compartment, in particular that of a motor vehicle, including an air supply area, whereof at least one part of its diffusion is effected through a porous panel, constituting, in particular, at least one portion of a dashboard, a door panel or a roof, and allowing said stream to flow freely simultaneously in all spatial directions, characterized in that a filtering member is interposed between the air supply area and the porous panel. Advantageously, its filtering power is equal to or greater than that of the porous panel, so as to retain all corresponding particles present in the air prior to its passing through the porous panel.
In this way, the particles are halted by the filtering member, and not by the porous panel.
Furthermore, according to another feature of the device according to the present invention, the filtering member has a surface area that is greater than that of said porous panel to increase its useful filtering surface, hence its service life.
The present invention also relates to the characteristics that will emerge in the course of the description that follows and which are to be considered in isolation or according to all possible technical combinations.